Bag-filling machine.



' APPLICATION TILED FEILZS, 1911.

J. BROUSSARD.

BAG FILLING MACHINE.

Patented May 7, 1912.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

COLUMBIA PLANOGIKAPH C0.. \VASHING'IOI. n. c.

J. BRO USSARD.

BAG FILLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED PEB.23, 1911.

Patented May 7, 1912.

3 SHBETSSHEET 2.

/ anvem foz I A; WW-f Q vibmeowo COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0..WA5HINOTON. n.c

J. BROUSSARD.

BAG FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Emma, 1911.

I 1,025,781. Patented May 7, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH c0., WASHINGTON. n c.

JAMES BBOUSSARD, 0F LOUREAUVILLE, LOUISIANA.

BAG-FILLING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1912.

Application filed February 23, 1911. Serial No. 610,342.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs BROUSSARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Loureauville, in the parish of Iberia and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBag-Filling Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in bag filling machines.

In my former Patent, No. 951,051 of March 1, 1910, there is disclosed amachine particularly adapted for bagging cotton seed, in which the seedis delivered from the gins to the bags in predetermined quantities sothat the weight of each bag will be the same, means being also providedfor recording the number of bags or sacks so filled. In my patentaforesaid, in the accomplishment of the object of properly packingcotton seed, the machine is constructed and arranged for shaking thesacks laterally while being filled. The present invention is designed,however, more particularly for bagging articles other than cotton seed,for instance, sugar corn, or rough rice, and from experience it has beenfound that the lateral shaking of the sacks will not properly packcertain products other than cotton seed.

One of the objects of the present inven-' tion, therefore, is to providemeans for properly jiggering the sacks vertically while being filled.

Another object is to automatically control the course of delivery toanother sack when one sack has been filled to the required weight, andstill other objects and advantages will appear from the followingdescription setting forth the invention fully.

While the invention is not restricted to the exact details shown anddescribed, for the purpose of disclosure reference is had to theaccompanying drawings illustrating same, in which like charactersdesignate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 isa view in side elevation, one of the sacks being shown raised inposition for delivering the seed thereto while the other sack is shownlowered ready to be removed and a new sack placed in position. Fig. 2 isa View in side elevation looking from the opposite side of themachine,.showing the bags in substantially the same position, but alsoshowing one bag broken away or detached from its supporting rim andclamping ring, and the hopper being shown broken away. Fig. 3 is avertical cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is an invertedplan view of the bottom framework of the cage showing the reciprocatingclevis member for operating the vertical jiggering means. Fig. 5 is asection on the line 4 d of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of thearrows, but with the frame in a reverse position to that shown in Fig.4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view diagrammatically illustrating theconnection of the horizontal reciprocating frame with the verticaljiggering means. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing brakingmeans for holding the sack platforms against upward movement when thesacks are removed. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 77of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a local perspective view of the clamping ring andlever connection, and Fig. 10 illustrates a wheel carriage or movableplatform for directly supporting the sacks.

Briefly referring to the general structure of framework, substantiallythe same as my former application, a designates the general frame work,suitably supported and trussed by the rods 7), 0 designating a hopperhaving the discharge chutes (Z and d diverging from the bottom of thehopper, 6 illustrating the lower end of a division plate pivoted at fand continuing upwardly as at 9, whereby when the plate is operated inreverse directions it will alternately discharge in the chutes cl or cl.i is registering means for indicating the number of sacks filled,consisting of a suitable dial, ratchet wheel, and a pawl j suitablyconnected with the swinging division plate 9-6 to operate the ratchetwheel. 70 designates a sprocket chain engaging the sprocket wheel Z nearthe lower part of the frame and the driving sprocket m carried by ashaft mounted on the frame and on which is also mounted a wheel n drivenby any suitable source of power represented by the belt 0. To theseparticular features no claim is based generally, and it will be seenthat the driving means and registering means are on opposite sides ofthe framework.

From the drawings it will be seen that there are a pair of bagsupporting means, but for simplicity of description I refer only to one.

Suspended from the top of the framework is a vertically movable cage 1having a bag supporting platform 1 and which may be properly guided. Thecage is suspended by means of the link and cable connections 2, thecables reeving over pulleys 3 supported by the top of the framework andthe other end of the cable or flexible connections 2 suspending a weightor weights 4 of predetermined value, the weights normally tending tohold the cage in an elevated position when unloaded and to determine thequantity of seed to be packed in the sacks, owing to the weight of thepacked sack causing the cage to descend and automatically controlgoverning means for the filling operation. The bottom of the cage isprovided with up rights 5 slotted vertically, as at 6, in which slotsare journaled sheaves 7 hereinafter referred to. At the top of theuprights 5 are located transverse bars, represented as angle bars 8, andthese transverse angle bars 8 suitably support a funnel or movablehopper 9 and also a pivotally supported lever 10 suspending a clampingring 11 by any suitable means, such as a pair of flexible cords 12,which clamping ring is provided with means for distending andcontracting same, indicated conventionally at 13 in Fig. 9. The lowerend of the cage is prevented from lateral swing by the guide bars 14engaging the uprights 5, and any suitable guiding means may be providedfor preventing swing lengthwise of the base of the machine.

1.5 is a locking lever pivoted to a stationary support or post16 andextendingthrough a U shaped iron 17, shown more clearly in Fig. 7, theiron 17 being secured to the inside face of one of the standards of thecage. The inner end or the free end of the locking lever 15 is adaptedto be forced downwardly over an inclining lug 18 and sprung underneaththe same for locking the cage in its lowermost position, to prevent theweights 4 from elevating the cage with a jolt when the bag is removed.It is obvious that the free ends of these levers may be sprung laterallywhen the cage is to be elevated, and the speed of elevation can becontrolled manually, it being understood that a loaded sack is removedand emptied then replaced and elevated in position while the other sackis being filled. The sack itself has a movement independent of itssupport, the sack in being shown raised from its immediate support atthe left in Fig. 1, and the opposite sack y being shown in its lowermostposition both in relation to the apparatus itself and the imme diatesupporting means for the sack.

The arrangement for suspending the sack comprises the means forjiggering the same vertically, as herein before referred to, andconsists of a rim-19 through which is passed the end of the sack andlapped over said rim, the rim being suspended, as shown more clearly inFig. 6 by a pair of cables 20 connected at one end to said rim, thenreeving over the sheaves 7, thence extending downwardly and reevingaround a sheave 21, thence extending outwardly and reeving around asheave 22, passing back inwardly and connected as at 23 to a clevismember 24 slidably mounted on the base framework of the cage, the latterconsisting of a platform of angle iron 25 shown in inverted plan at Fig.4. The forked arms of the clevis member extending through guidingeyelets 26 on the vertical side webs of the base support, and suit-ablesprings, such as coiled springs indicated at 27, are disposed betweenthe clevis member and the support 25, tending to force the ring 28 ofthe clevis member away from the framework. The top of this clevis memberis also provided with a guiding plate 29 apertured to register with thering 28, as hereinafter referred to.

The beveled stops 18 are mounted on a support 30, and on this support isalso suitably journaled a shaft 31 carrying on one end the sprocketwheel Z, and at its other end a disk and eccentrically arranged crankpin 31 connected by a pitman 32 with a swinging arm 33 bifurcated at itslower end, as at 34, and pivot-ally connected, as at 35, with the base.A shorter swinging arm is arranged at the opposite side of the crankmechanism having its lower bifurcated ends 36 similarly pivoted to thebase, and subtending these arms is a bar 37 pivoted thereto and providedwith downwardly projecting fingers 38 disposed in a plane passingthrough said bifurcated arms and adapted to pass through the ring 28 ofthe reciproeating clevis.

39 designates a cable for each cage counterbalancing weight connected atone end to its weight 4, thence reeving around pulleys 40, 41 and 42 andsecured at 39 and 39 to opposite sides of the division plate g, as seenin Fig. 2.

In operation, when either of the cages are in their lowermost positionthey are held locked by the lever 15 engaging beneath the lug 18. Inthis position the full sack y,

Fig. 1, may be removed from the cage platform, preferably by running therolling carriage, shown in Fig. 10, along a track arranged adjacentthereto and replacing the filled sack by the sack :1 shown in Fig. 2.From Fig. 2 it will be seen that the rim 19 is flared,-as at 19 and theopen end of the sack is passed through the rim and lapped over theflared edge, whereupon the clamping ring 11 is lowered in position andclamped around the sack edge, held between it and the rim. The lever 15is then unlatched from the lug 18, and by holding down on the free endthereof the elevation of the cage 1 by the counterbalancing weight 4 maybe controlled, it being understood that this operation is performedwhile the other sack is being filled, so that the empty sack is in placeunder its chute when the discharging means is automatically shifted.\Vhile the sack is in its lowermost position (and the same is true ofthe sack 00 when in the same position) the finger 38 is out ofengagement with the ring 28 while the opposite finger 88 is inengagement with the ring 28 of the cage containing the sack beingfilled, so that one sack is being jiggered vertically while the otherremains stationary until moved to its elevated position, the jiggeringof the sack being accomplished by the movement of the bar 37 through thecrank and pitman mechanism reciprocating the clevis 24 against thetension of the springs 27 and the weight of the sack. \Vhen the loweredsack is empty it will be understood that the strength of the springs 27is suflicient to force the ring 28 outwardly against the weight of therim and the sack, so that as the cage is raised the reciprocating finger38 will slide along the plate 29, should it not be in a position toimmediately register with the ring 28, until it comes in such position,when the cage will be allowed to continue upward movement, the ring 28sliding upwardly on its finger 38. When the sack 00 is filled, andlikewise the sack 3 in its turn, the weight of the contents of the sackbeing determined by the weight 4:, the filled sack will overcome thecounterbalancing weight 4 causing the cage to descend, and the weight 1ascending will operate its cable 39 and pull the division plate 9 towardits side, shoving the lower end in the opposite direction to dischargeinto the opposite chute, thereby automatically controlling the dischargefrom the hopper. During the descent of the cage the U-shaped member 17will force its lever 15 downwardly until it engages the inclined lug 18and springs therebeneath, holding the cage locked against the action ofthe weight. At the same time the ring 28 leaves its finger 38 and theclevis being released the weight of the sack causes it to descendindependently of the descent of the cage until it rests on its weight orplatform, the descent being against the action of the springs 27. Thering 11 is then unclamped, and the edge of the sack being released thesprings 27 will cause the clevis member to move in a reverse direction,elevating the rim to detach it from the sack top and in position toinsert a new sack after the filled one has been removed. The same cycleof operations being repeated alternately by each of the sack elevatingdevices.

Having thus described a practical and preferred embodiment of theinvention, the particular features of novelty will now be pointed outmore succinctly in the following claims 1. In a bag filling machine, thecombination of a delivery chute; a device adapted to hold the bag openadjacent said chute; a flexible support for said device; and means forconnecting with said flexible support to jigger the bag while fillingand to automatically disengage therefrom when the bag is filled,substantially as described.

2. In a bag filling machine, the combination of a delivery chute; aplatform movable vertically beneath said chute; a device for holding abag open; a support for said holding device associated with saidplatform and adapted to support the bag above the platform; and meansassociated with said supporting device to jigger the bag vertically andindependently of said movable platform; said means having a connectionwith the supporting device adapted to be automatically disconnected whenthe platform is lowered, substantially as described.

3. In a bag filling machine, the combination of a delivery chute; aplatform movable vertically beneath said chute; a flexible bagsupporting device comprising a rim adapted to hold the bag open beneaththe chute; means on the platform for holding said flexible support; areciprocable arm having a vertically disposed portion; a slip connectionbetween the flexible device and the vertically disposed portion of saidarm; and means for reciprocating the arm to jigger the bag verticallyand independently of the platform; and said vertically disposed armportion adapted to release the flexible device and allow the filled bagto lower to the platform, when said platform is lowered, substantiallyas described.

1. In a bag filling machine, the combination of a delivery chute, asupport for the bags to be filled adjacent said chute, a horizontallymovable member provided with an eyelet or ring, a plurality of sheaves,flexible means connected at one end of said bag thence passing upwardlyand downwardly over one of said sheaves thence passing horizontallyaround another of said sheaves thence doubling back upon itself aroundIn testimony whereof, I aflix my signaanother of said sheaves andconnected to ture, in presence of two Witnesses.

said horizontally movable member a reciprocating rod having a fingeradapted to aline JAMES BROUSSARD' 5 with said eyelet or ring, and meansfor oper- WVitnesses:

ating said reciprocating member, substan- E. S. BnoUssAm),

tially as described. I CLET Pnovosr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

